Olton may become wet if alcohol option put on ballot

Published 4:55 am, Friday, April 1, 2016

If proponents can jump all the legal hurdles, Olton could be joining Lockney in a beer, liquor and wine election this spring.

According to the Olton Enterprise newspaper, which covers Olton, Springlake and Earth, a group of residents with the possible support of one convenience store and a push from another, is attempting to make Olton wet and are beginning the process of collecting signatures for a required application to begin a petition drive to call a liquor vote.

Before a city secretary can issue a petition to gather signatures, the Texas Secretary of State requires petitioners to first apply for the petition as well as provide proof of publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the political subdivision.

However, Olton Enterprise Publisher Phillip Hamilton stated in a recent article that his publication will not print the legal notice.

"Not in this newspaper," wrote Hamilton.

"We do not run alcohol-related advertising, including legal notice of an application for a petition to bring alcohol here."

Despite the promised blockade in the local newspaper, the pro-wet group could publish their required legal notice in the Plainview Herald, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and in Littlefield's Lamb County Leader-News.

Lamb County is already partially wet with three precincts allowing the sale of beer, win, and liquor. Olton, Earth and Sudan are completely dry towns in Lamb, while Littlefield is completely wet.

In terms of collecting names, Hamilton said the law only requires 10 signatures of registered voters living in an area to start the application for a petition.

If signatures are collected and a legal notice is published as required for the application, then those for a wet Olton have 60 days to collect the required number of signatures for the petition. Olton's city secretary will determine the number of signatures required. Normally in other petitions, signatures are required of 35 percent of the registered voters in the affected area.

And if the petition gains enough signatures, then a local option for the legalization of alcohol can take place in Olton.

The legal notice must include names of those applying for the petition and specifics of whether the election will seek the sale of beer, wine, liquor or all of the above.

Hamilton said even though the paper will not publish a legal notice, he indicated that the Enterprise would publish names of those signing the application as well as anybody who consequently signs the petition.

"If they want to put their name on the application or sign a petition, they have every right to do so. But the newspaper has every right to publish every one of those names because they are public record," Hamilton wrote.

As of Thursday, Olton City Manager Marvin Tillman said there has not been an application submitted for the alcohol petition.